An online news source about the DePaul University College of Law community.

November 21, 2014

Rocio Alcantar (JD’ 10), supervising attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Access to Counsel Project, a new initiative of the Immigrant Legal Defense Project, taught the first Center for Public Interest Law (CPIL) skills series of the 2014-2015 academic year.

The series was titled Working with Immigrant Children. As the former supervising attorney with the Immigrant Children’s Protection Project and as the lead staff attorney for the Counter-Trafficking Project, Alcantar used her experiences to create a five part legal skills series to teach laws students about how to successfully work with migrant youth.

The series was designed to give students an overview of working with migrant children, assessing the forms of relief that are available and how to serve as an advocate for this community. Alcantar first focused on the overall causes of migration. The series also highlighted the various forms of relief available to migrant children, such as Asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), T Visas, U Visas, etc. Students interested in the topic engaged in classroom discussion about the struggles that lawyers face when advocating for migrant children and learned practical and transferable skills.

The series took place on five consecutive Mondays from September 29 to October 27. Student who attended all five sessions will receive a certificate of completion. The Center for Public Interest Law offers three public interest legal skills series during each academic year.

The competition was held at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse, which houses the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois as well as the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Open only to DePaul’s upper-level students, the intramural competition functions as an audition for membership in DePaul’s Appellate Moot Court Society. This academic honor allows students to represent the law school in national competitions throughout the country.

“Not only is the competition a great tradition made possible by one of our most accomplished alumni, but it also allows participants to put their skills to work and exhibit their talents when it comes to written and oral advocacy at the appellate level,” said John O’Donnell, the society’s vice president in charge of recruitment and the administrator of this year’s competition. “We were really impressed with everyone’s performance, and we are excited to have been able to add a diverse and talented group of individuals to our team, which should help make for a successful spring.”

The society’s newest second- and third-year student members are:

Tim Bingham

John Dark

Rachel Dickson

Evan Finneke

Timothy Furman

Brad Jarka

Elizabeth Kiggins

Peggy Liu

Jaclyn McCaffery

Zachary Peasall

Philipp Ruben

James Snodgrass

Catherine Van Duys

Margaret Walsh

Cherrisse Woods

Matthew Zuziak

Cherrise Woods and Zachary Peasall emerged victorious over John Dark and James Snodgrass in the final round, which was paneled by Judge William J. Bauer (LLB '52), Judge Warren Wolfson and Interim Dean Bruce Ottley. Best Brief and Best Oralist awards were given to Brad Jarka and Tim Bingham respectively.

"We were able to add some fantastic talent to our team this year, and none of that would have been possible without John’s [O'Donnell] hard work," said Kevin Sheehan, the society’s 2014-15 president. "Carrying on this tradition is a huge responsibility, and he did an amazing job."

October 03, 2014

DePaul's College of Law and its Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic assists individuals and Chicago area community based organizations. The Legal Resources Project, which is staffed by (from left) Esmeralda Villela, Lorena Hernandez, and attorneys Sarah Diaz, Sioban Albiol and Angelica Lopez, provides legal aid for low-income clients and experiential learning opportunities for DePaul law students. (Photo by Jeff Carrion)

A young mother from Mexico, hoping to improve her life in Chicago, sought help from the Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic at DePaul University. She was looking for advice on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — the federal process known as DACA, which was recently renewed.

In the news these past few months, DACA outlines the process for those who came to the United States as children without legal status and want to remain in the country. The law clinic guided the young mother through the application process and helped organize her documents so she could achieve deferred action and gain legal employment. The clinic's team of lawyers and law students worked to ensure their client would have the opportunity to help her family.

"The clinic has successfully advocated in a number of cases including ultimately obtaining citizenship and lawful permanent residence for immigrants who were initially wrongfully denied," said attorney Sioban Albiol, an instructor at the clinic who also directs its Legal Resources Project.

"We think that our resources, and we, DePaul, can make a difference," Albiol said. She noted that the young mother from Mexico was able to find a job, go to school and give her children a better life. "She has been able to come out of the shadows and more fully participate in her own life and her community."

The Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, which provides experiential learning for students in DePaul’s College of Law, serves a variety of clients.

“In addition to helping represent immigrants, the clinic's goal is to help future lawyers work on their skills by taking what they learn in the classroom and applying it to real life situations,” Albiol explained. “And, at the same time, it provides the community with representation to vulnerable populations or low-income populations such as immigrants and asylum seekers.

July 22, 2014

The College of Law is enriching its JD curriculum with the Third Year in Practice Program. Known as 3YP, the program gives students an opportunity to complete general law school course requirements in two years and spend their third year immersed in the practice of law.

Launching in fall 2014, 3YP will combine clinical, simulation and professional skills courses with an intensive externship program. Participating students will spend a significant part of their third year working in select government agencies, nonprofit organizations, law firms or judicial chambers under the close supervision of a practicing attorney or judge.

The 3YP option enhances DePaul’s experiential learning curriculum by allowing for more out-of classroom credits and a more intensive field placement experience, with an ultimate goal of better preparing students for the realities of the profession.

A call for change

The program responds to the changing demands of the legal field and reflects recent practices by law schools and attorneys aiming to reinvigorate instruction and the profession.

In 2013, the American Bar Association (ABA) Task Force on the Future of Legal Education conducted a review of legal education. Its report—for consideration by institutions, the legal world and the public—called for sweeping changes. Among them, the panel requested increased innovation in law schools and a greater shift from doctrinal instruction toward development of the day-to-day skills and competencies required by lawyers.

July 14, 2014

Earlier this year, the College of Law announced the creation of a Third Year in Practice Program (3YP) and a three-year JD/LLM degree. The new programs build on DePaul’s strengths in practical skills training as well as several specialty areas, while offering incoming students new opportunities to tailor their education to meet the needs of a changing legal market.

Dialogue interviewed Professors Zoë Robinson and Allison Tirres, two faculty members who were involved in crafting DePaul’s three-track JD model, to learn more about the initiative.

Q. What inspired the three-track program concept?

Robinson: I am fortunate to be part of a small group of faculty who have been working to develop programmatic initiatives that both give our students more choice in how they pursue their legal education while at DePaul, and also help develop skills that will set them apart from other graduates in the job market.

The three track-track concept was a way of meeting the various demands from students and employers for practical legal education, increased faculty contact and mentoring, more opportunities to engage in in-depth legal writing and analysis, and focused training in a specialized area of the law. By offering a traditional JD option, a third year in practice option, and a three-year JD/LLM option, we can meet these demands and offer students a choice about how to conduct their legal education.

Q. How will the new JD options appeal to students?

Robinson: I think that the three-year JD/LLM will appeal to those students who wish to practice in one of DePaul’s areas of specialty: health law, tax law, international law and IP law. The program offers students the chance to graduate with two degrees in the time it usually takes to complete the stand-alone JD. Yet, more than that, it offers students the chance to work intensively in one specialized area alongside uniquely qualified faculty members who will act as mentors to those students.

The 3YP option will appeal to those students that wish to experience the practice of law prior to graduation, and who want to experience a handful of practice areas before deciding where they will ultimately end up after graduation.

A DePaul College of Law moot court team comprised of four first-year students placed third in the 2014 Beijing Foreign Studies University-Wanhuida Cup Intellectual Property Moot Court Competition in Beijing, China, on May 24 and 25.

Teammates Precious Allen, Joseph Klein, Destinee Moyer and Shin Young Jo competed against 13 teams from Australia, China, Taiwan and the United States. DePaul's brief was ranked 4th overall and team member Precious Allen won the competition's Best Oralist Award. Shin Young Jo also was recognized as an outstanding oralist.

Professor Len Cavise coached the team in Beijing, and professors Michael Grynberg, Joshua Sarnoff, Anthony Volini and Michael Graham prepared the team prior to the competition.

May 12, 2014

Armando Rios and his niece Kimberly Rios had no idea they shared a passion for law. But on the afternoon of law school orientation, Kimberly turned around to find her uncle standing behind her.

“I asked him, ‘What are you doing here?’” Kimberly recalled, laughing. “Then I saw his name tag and said, ‘No way!’” Armando was equally surprised to learn that his niece was his classmate. “I saw her across the room, and I knew exactly who that was,” he said.

On May 18, their family will celebrate when both graduate from DePaul University’s College of Law. Throughout their time at DePaul, Kimberly and Armando found ways to support each other, even though they pursued different paths.

May 06, 2014

At its annual service awards reception on April 22, the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) recognized a record number of law students—more than 140—who reported at least 50 hours of legal or nonlegal volunteer work while at DePaul. In total, law students reported more than 20,000 hours of pro bono and community service in academic year 2013-2014, setting another record for the College of Law. PBCSI also presented 46 students with the Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Public Service Award, which recognizes graduating third- and fourth-year students who have reported 200 or more service hours.

In addition to law student awards, PBCSI presented the 2014 Pro Bono Alumni Award to Jean A. Adams (JD '80). Her law practice focuses on trusts and estates planning, guardianships and decedent estates. Adams began her pro bono career in 1982, shortly after gaining admission to the bar and has handled hundreds of pro bono cases since then, primarily with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). CVLS awarded her its Distinguished Service Award in 1995 and 2002 for her “excellent work and commitment to serving Chicago’s poor.” Her pro bono work has focused on guardian ad litem work for disabled adults and minors in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

April 16, 2014

Illinois Legal Aid Online recognized Shaye Loughlin (JD '06) and Cheryl Price for their initiative and creativity in co-founding DePaul's Neighborhood Legal Assistance Project (NLAP), a pro bono legal help desk for the homeless. Loughlin, executive director of the Center for Public Interest Law, and Price, director of the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative, discuss the vision for the project in an interview for Illinois Legal Aid Online's "Faces of Justice" video series.

“At bottom, NLAP is an access to justice project and one that has inspired and touched the lives of many of our students" said Price. "Hopefully they’ll go on to become future public interest attorneys as well as pro bono attorneys.”

Since its launch in March 2012, NLAP has provided critical legal services to hundreds of homeless individuals in the South Loop.

April 11, 2014

DePaul University College of Law’s intellectual property law program is ranked No. 12 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Law Schools guide. The program has ranked among the best in the nation for more than a decade and continues to thrive under the direction of DePaul’s respected IP faculty and the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology (CIPLIT®).

Two new initiatives, a first-year lecture series and a mentorship program, introduced by CIPLIT in academic year 2013-2014, build on the strength of DePaul’s IP program and support a tradition of student-focused programming.

The six-week lecture series, “An Introduction to IP Theory and Practice,” is designed to acquaint first-year law students interested in IP law with substantive content and elements of practice. Both full-time faculty members and experienced IP attorneys lecture on various IP subjects, introducing students to the breadth and depth of this area of law.

“It’s really a treat to attend the IP lecture series. The speakers are experts in their respective fields, and each session is informative and engaging,” student Peggy Liu said. “Equipped with this foundational knowledge, I feel well prepared to take on the challenges of higher-level IP courses.”